Diaper Rash

Diaper rash is characterized by the inflammation of the skin covered by a diaper. It is triggered by contact irritation. Redness varies; from uniform and limited to the baby’s buttocks, it can spread around the anus, genitals or groin. If skin remains humid, a fungus infection can occur and aggravate the rash. Fungus infection is marked by the spread of redness elsewhere on the body.

Diaper rash develops mainly after a prolonged contact between skin and urine or feces. Many factors can aggravate the situation.

• Irritation caused by some soaps, perfumes and creams
• A diaper or garment that is too tight
• The use of plastic pants
• Antibiotics

Ways of preventing diaper rash

The best thing to do is to adopt an excellent hygiene routine, specially when changing diapers. Baby’s skin must be kept clean and dry and you must avoid any contact with irritating products such as strong soaps, perfumes, urine and feces.

• Change the diaper as soon as it is soiled, about every one or two hours during the day and at least twice during the night, one change taking place shortly after baby goes to bed.
• Clean baby’s buttocks with water. If necessary, use a gentle soap.
• Dry skin without rubbing. It is recommended to let the skin dry during a few minutes or to use a hair-dryer on cold setting.
• Always protect baby’s buttocks with an ointment or paste containing over 20% of zinc oxide (zinc ointment or Ihle paste) to be applied each time you change the diaper.
• Use a small amount of mineral oil to remove the zinc oxide paste or ointment. Do not try and remove it entirely, which could irritate the skin.
• Allow the child to take a nap lying down on a clean open diaper.
• Avoid cleaning the skin with a part of the diaper even if it is clean.
• Avoid damp perfumed towels and irritating soaps to clean baby’s buttocks.
• Do not tighten the disposable diapers too much.
• Avoid plastic pants, especially at night.
• Do not use strong detergents to wash cloth diapers.

Wash cloth diapers as follows:

1. Throw feces in the toilet and rinse the diaper if necessary.
2. Soak diapers in a solution made of 1/2 a cup of vinegar and 2/3 of a cup of water. Do not soak in that solution more than four days.
3. Before washing, wring the soaked diapers.
4. In order to prevent skin irritation, diapers must be washed in a gentle soap. Avoid strong detergents and fabric softeners.
5. Use hot water (or warm water if the diaper is covered with a plastic film) and make sure to dissolve the soap before adding the diapers in the machine.
6. At the end of the washing cycle, do a second rinse and dry diapers in dryer, at medium temperature, without fabric softener. Plastic-coated diapers should be dried out in the open.

Using absorbing powder is generally not recommended. If you use it, be careful that baby does not inhale talc powder particles. One must also avoid to use sodium bicarbonate as powder. Only corn starch and talc are acceptable options. Nevertheless zinc paste or cream or Vaseline are more recommended. If powder is used, make sure to use it on dry skin since powder in contact with wet skin will form a crust, which can provoke the development of a bacterial infection.

Ways to treat a diaper rash

Diaper rash treatment starts with the prevention and hygiene measures mentioned above. The use of zinc oxide-based products or Vaseline are recommended.

In spite of this, if the condition persists more than 3 days, you must consult a physician. In fact, consulting a physician is recommended if the redness spreads into the skin folds or if diaper changing seems uncomfortable and painful to baby.

In some cases, when diaper rash is caused by an infection, applying an antifungal cream might be necessary. In more serious cases that do not respond to other types of treatment, a hydrocortisone cream may be used, but solely under a physician’s recommendation.

Consult your pharmacist to learn what to do to relieve baby’s diaper rash.

The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider. All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare provider, considering the unique characteristics of the patient. Links to other sites are provided as a convenience to the viewer. PROXIM accepts no responsibility for the content of linked sites.